Vegetable Lasagna

There used to be a restaurant called Spinnakers that I loved as a kid.  They had flower pot bread, and the best veggie lasagna I'd ever had.  I finally found a recipe that, when edited, came close to the magic of that restaurant that hasn't been around since I was in high school.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

8 ounces dried lasagna noodles (9 noodles)

2 beaten eggs

30 oz ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained.  The spinach can be very watery, so be sure to squeeze it out well in colander.  However, stir up the spinach to loosen it up before adding to sauce in step 3.

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and thoroughly drained

1 cup shredded carrot (2 carrots)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3 ounces) (divided)

1 8-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain; set aside on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Cook the onion and garlic until tender (2-3 minutes).  Stir in flour and pepper; add milk all at once.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly (several minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in the spinach, broccoli, carrot, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. To assemble, grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish (I use 9 x 13 inch).  Layer 3 of the noodles, folding or cutting to fit (they fit perfectly in the 9 x 13).  Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the vegetable mixture, and 1/3 of the mozzarella.  Repeat the layers two more times.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until heated through.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.